Barcelona is a metropolis which is fully equipped to host meetings. It is one of the cities in Europe and the world which host the greatest number of international congresses. Barcelona gets fourth position in the ICCA ranking and sixth position in the UIA ranking for the year 2013. Leading multinationals choose Barcelona for their conventions and product presentations. Furthermore, in recent years, Barcelona has proved itself to be one of Europe’s most attractive and dynamic cities, and this has made it one of the preferred incentive trip destinations.

SAGRADA FAMILIA:

The Sagrada Família is Antoni Gaudí’s best-known work and has become an undisputed symbol of Barcelona. Extravagant, ambitious and controversial, this unique modern temple has been under construction since 1882, and is expected to be completed by 2030.

The foundation stone of this colossal basilica was laid in 1882, and building work is still progress. Although the architect Francesc de Paula Villar was originally commissioned to carry out the Sagrada Família’s project, just a year later he was replaced by the young Gaudí, who devoted himself fully to the task until the time of his death in 1926. During his lifetime, Gaudí completed the crypt and the Nativity façade at the side, which have been declared a World Heritage Site. The surviving models and drawings have made it possible to continue with the building work, which continues to be funded by private donations.

Sagrada Família is intended to be a symbolic building, and this explains why it has three monumental façades: the eastern one dedicated to the birth of Christ, the western one dedicated to the Passion of Christ, and the Glory façade, which is the biggest of all, and is devoted to religious faith. The four towers on each façade represent the 12 Apostles. A dome-shaped tower will eventually crown the apse, symbolising the Virgin Mary, and the four tall towers dedicated to the evangelists will encircle the central spire which will be built over the crossing and represent the Saviour. You can go up the towers on foot or using the lift, and enjoy breathtaking views of Barcelona.

PARQUE GÜELL:

No work by Gaudí better encapsulates the complete and perfect harmony of nature and architecture than Barcelona’s Park Güell. Initially designed as an English-style garden-city – hence the name Park – it eventually became Barcelona’s most unusual public park.

Park Güell was an attempt to create a housing estate in a natural setting in the old village of Gràcia: an ambitious property development project commissioned by Gaudí’s patron, Eusebi Güell. The architect chose an uneven site covering a surface area of 15 hectares where 40 detached houses were to be built. Only two were actually completed, and Gaudí lived in one of them. It is now a museum devoted to the architect’s life and work. Gaudí prepared the site of Park Güell between 1900 and 1914, showcasing his urban-planning concerns by building paths, arcades and viaducts that were fully integrated into Barcelona’s natural surroundings.

Gaudí’s characteristic vivid imagination is revealed in the different elements that amaze visitors from around the world that visit Barcelona. The gatehouses, which were originally designed as the caretaker’s house, are now home to the Park Güell Interpretation Centre. The flight of steps, with its famous dragon covered in coloured broken-ceramic pieces, leads to the hypostyle hall, an impressive space comprising 86 columns which underpins the plaza above. The curving bench around the perimeter of the plaza was designed by Jujol, one of Gaudí’s associates in the construction of this unique park in the old village of Gràcia which has been declared a World Heritage Site.

From 25th October 2013, the Park Güell will be operating a timed admission system for visitors to the monumental area so that they can enjoy a quality cultural experience. You’ll find more information at www.parkguell.cat

LAS RAMBLAS:

Barcelona wouldn’t be Barcelona without the Rambla. A wander up and down this famous boulevard is a ritual well worth observing. Just soak up the atmosphere and admire the buildings, from the Canaletes fountain to the Columbus Monument, which connect the old and modern city with places like Liceu and Boqueria. A walk through the life and history of the city.

La Rambla is exactly 1.2 kilometres long and nearly everyone who visits Barcelona walks along it. La Rambla was laid out in 1766, following the contours of the medieval city walls that had bounded this part of Barcelona since the 13th century. The locals took it to their hearts straightaway. In Barcelona, a city of narrow, winding streets, the Rambla was the only space where everyone could stroll and spend their leisure time. And we mean everyone. Because of its central location, the Rambla became a meeting place for all the social classes. .

Gradually, leisure and cultural attractions found the perfect location on La Rambla. The convents disappeared and florists and newsstands set up there premises here. As you walk along, you’ll see landmark buildings, such as the greatest theatre of Barcelona’s opera, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Palau de la Virreina and the spectacular Boqueria Market. This human river, with its street artists, tourists and locals, who still come here for a stroll, take us on a journey through this microcosm of contemporary Barcelona.

Where Where La Rambla meets the sea, we find the Mirador de Colom, a unique opportunity to admire this unique, green artery of pedestrians from the air.

LA PEDRERA:

The Casa Milà, popularly known as La Pedrera (Catalan for stone quarry), is a unique building designed by the architectural genius Antoni Gaudí and represents the pinnacle of his achievements. The building was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984.

Known as La Pedrera due to its austere external appearance, resembling an opencast quarry, sinuous and with forms drawn from nature, it comprises two apartment blocks connected by interior courtyards and with a shared façade. Gaudí designed the building at the age of 54, when he was at the height of his powers, and it was his last piece of civil architecture which represented a break with the ways of perceiving architecture at the time.

You can visit La Pedrera during the day and night and see the building’s key areas:

The terrace, an unusual rooftop charged with an artistic power that has nothing to do with the architecture of its day. Highlights include the stairwells and casings with their symbolic forms which have become an unmistakable feature of Gaudí’s work.

The Espai Gaudí, is located in one of the most distinctive spaces designed by Gaudí: the attic in La Pedrera. It consists of 270 catenary arches made of flat brick and houses the only exhibition dedicated to Gaudí’s life and work. It showcases the architect’s creations through models and plans, objects and designs, photographs and videos.

The Pedrera period apartment, a recreation of an early-20th century bourgeois family apartment which gives us an insight into the way they lived, with period furniture and household equipment of the period and decorative elements designed by Gaudí.

The courtyards, which provide a focal point for the entire building and provide better lighting and ventilation. They were one of Gaudí’s most important innovations. The inner façades of the courtyards ceased to be residual spaces and became a true spectacle of shapes, light and colours.

MODERNISTA ROUTE:

Barcelona and its home-grown art nouveau movement, modernisme, go hand in hand. The style emerged in all its glory at the end of the 19th century to reveal itself in hundreds of extremely beautiful buildings which line the way. Let yourself be captivated once again by these masterpieces in a style full of opulence, fantasy, symbolism and colour.

In the old town, Ciutat Vella, there is the incomparable Palau de la Música Catalana, and in the Parc de la Ciutadella, the building which is home to the Museu de Ciències Naturals i Zoologia. The Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau is one of the nine modernista masterpieces in Barcelona which have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Barcelona is certainly the European city where art-nouveau architecture has the greatest presence in the physiognomy and personality of the city.

It is the Eixample district, and more specifically the area known as the “Quadrat d’Or” (Golden Square), which contains the greatest number of modernista buildings, although this architectural style can be found in many other places around the city.

In the old town, Ciutat Vella, there is the incomparable Palau de la Música Catalana, and in the Parc de la Ciutadella, the building which is home to the Museu de Ciències Naturals i Zoologia. The Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau is one of the nine modernista masterpieces in Barcelona which have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Barcelona is certainly the European city where art-nouveau architecture has the greatest presence in the physiognomy and personality of the city.

EuroNeuro 2016 was granted 18 European CME credits (ECMEC) by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME).